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At least 2,464 people have now been killed by US drone strikes outside the country’s declared war zones since President Barack Obama’s inauguration six years ago, the Bureau’s latest monthly report reveals.

At least 2,464 people have now been killed by US drone strikes outside the country’s declared war zones since President Barack Obama’s inauguration six years ago, the Bureau’s latest monthly report reveals.

Photos taken in Mosul, Iraq, appear to show grenade-dropping drones used against the Iraqi security forces.

The improvised weapons consist of a plastic tube attached to a consumer camera drone to carry explosives.

The images were taken by former US Army special forces officer Mitch Utterback, who was in the country as a journalist.

Mr Utterback said the drones were designed to drop 40mm grenade rounds

"It's not as if it is a large, armed UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] that is dropping munitions from the wings - but literally, a very small quadcopter that drops a small munition in a somewhat imprecise manner," said Col Brett Sylvia.

"We saw these every day. The Iraqi forces are very concerned with them," he said.

Drones can be difficult to shoot down, but new weapons are being developed to tackle them.

Some aim to disable to devices by blocking the radio signals they require to be controlled.

"Commercial drones tend to operate in the 2.4 gigahertz range, they are relatively easy to jam," said Mr Bronk.

"They are difficult to spot and shoot down, but if you have jamming capabilities you can deny them airspace."

Mr Utterback said the Iraqi forces he had been visiting had had some success shooting down the drones.

"When spotted, every rifle and man-carried machine gun opens up to try and shoot them down," he told the BBC.